Five People Aboard Small Business Jet Crash in Eastern Georgia Affiliated with Medical Facility

Federal and local authorities are still examining the cause of a small jet that crashed in eastern Georgia shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 20, 2013). It is being reported that five of those aboard were affiliated with a vein clinic in Augusta, Georgia, that also had offices in Tennessee. Among them, according to the Huffington Post, was a surgeon and members of his staff. Two pilots also reportedly were aboard that business jet. Five people were killed and among the two survivors was a pilot, authorities reported. Both survivors reportedly were taken to a nearby hospital. Chief Deputy Ronnie Williamson told CNN that the aircraft, a Hawker Beechcraft 390/Premier I, “overshot the runway” in Thomson, Georgia, and barely missed a manufacturing building before crashing in the woods. The ensuing fire caused a power outage for nearby residents. Witnesses told the press that remnants of the wreckage was strewn over a 100-yard area. Investigators said they were trying to figure out why the pilot aborted his landing on a 5,500-foot runway at Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport, about 30 miles west of Augusta. Investigators told the press that they will be reviewing a videotape from a security camera at the airport as well as examining the flight-data recorder, or “black box,” to see if that yields any clues. They also will be talking to air traffic controllers at the airport, voice communications and radar data, they said. The NTSB told WSMV-TV in Georgia that no distress call was issued before the crash. The plane is listed as belonging to Pavilion Group, LLC in Delaware, Georgia television station WSMV reported.